


Ours

by Ilsa



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Drinking, Episode Related, F/M, Shenny - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 05:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4006963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilsa/pseuds/Ilsa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another old fic I wrote a few years ago. This is in response to the episode, "The Launch Acceleration".<br/>Penny is surprised by how upset she is when Amy makes Sheldon Spaghetti with little hot dogs. Shenny</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last of the old BBT fics I'll be putting up here. I added a new drabble today, with more new ones to come. Plus a longer one that is in the works.

 

Penny was drunk.

 

She found it really was the best way to listen to Bernadette and Amy discuss their love lives.

 

Listening to Bernadette ramble about her and Howard's love life was creepy and more than a little disturbing, but then it also offered a bit of hope in that there truly must be someone for everyone in this world. Still, it was this particular conversation topic that made her grab the 'Goose' (a birthday gift from her brother, God bless him!) from it's special hiding place. She did two quick shots and then added a third to her diet coke.

 

She offered some to Bernadette, knowing just the right amount to have her friend snoring within minutes, but not before she asked, “How are things with Leonard?”

 

Penny smiled and added a little more of the vodka to both her and Bernadette's drinks.

 

“Oh, things are great with Leonard. We hangout and have sex, and … hangout... Amy?” she asked offering the bottle to her other friend, who had remained unusually quiet for most of the evening.

 

Amy just shook her head and stared morosely at her clasped hands.

 

Bernadette giggled and snuggled back into the pillows on Penny's couch. It would only be a matter of minutes now...

 

“So what's got you down, Amy?” Penny asked, having to concentrate hard to keep her words from slurring... She felt sooo good.

 

Amy began to ramble using a lot of big words that Penny may have heard before in her life, but really didn't understand the meaning of. However, like usual, she was able to pick up on a few key words that allowed her to understand the gist of Amy's woes.

 

“Ah, you're still having trouble with Sheldon?” Penny asked before slurping the rest of her drink. Wow, that one went quick.

 

And that was it, really. Whatever happened next was a complete mystery to Penny. Next thing she knew it was 2 am and she was running across the hall to Leonard and Sheldon's bathroom to throw-up because Bernadette was in hers.

 

She passed out on the cold linoleum, only to wake up on Leonard and Sheldon's couch a little while later.

 

Sheldon looked down at her with an expression that was half worried and half exasperated.

 

“I hope you are done emptying your stomach of it's contents in our bathroom. I had to use the last of the bleach to clean it all up. So, you'll be taking me to the store tomorrow to get more,” he informed her in his haughty superior way that always made her want to punch him.

 

Penny just moaned and gave him her most pitiful look.

 

He let out a put-upon sigh and walked away. Penny began to drift off again, when he suddenly hauled her to a sitting position.

 

“Here,” he said, handing her a glass of water and a couple of aspirin.

 

“Muh..,” is the sound she made when she tried to say 'thank you'.

 

“You're welcome,” he said, closely watching her face as she swallowed the pills.

 

“Alright, time for you to go home. Howard has already taken Bernadette home and I cleaned your bathroom with the cheap disinfectant you buy, which I suppose is better than nothing, but not to worry, we'll get you some real bleach from the store tomorrow...”

 

Penny was so tired. She tried her best to stand, but her legs gave way almost immediately. It took her a moment to realize that she hadn't actually hit the floor and another moment to realize she was moving... and then that Sheldon was carrying her!

 

She quickly drifted off again, waking when he lay her on her bed a few minutes later.

 

Penny stared at him and he stared right back at her. Neither said anything but there was just something so right, so comforting about him being there. She blinked and he turned to leave, switching off the light when he reached her door. She wanted to call out to him. To say 'thanks' or something but she couldn't make her body respond. She was so tired.

 

Just when she thought he had left, the bed suddenly dipped beside her as he sat down.

 

His soft baritone filled her room and she smiled as she dropped off to sleep once more to the sweet refrain of 'Soft Kitty'.

 

* * *

 

 

The hang-over wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. Her head didn't even hurt thanks to the aspirin Sheldon had given her. She still felt pretty sluggish and sleepy, but made herself get out of bed and was dressed by the time he knock-knock-knocked on her door. 11 O’clock sharp.

 

Sheldon made it clear how much he did not want to go to the shoe store while they were out, but she ignored his protests. Shoe shopping always made her feel better, even if the cute pair of pink sandals were just a little outside her price range. Sighing, she returned them to the shelf and told Sheldon she was ready to leave.

 

“We spent nearly an hour in that store and you are leaving without purchasing anything?” He questioned.

 

She didn't say anything, just kept walking.

 

“Penny? You liked the pink sandals with the little daisies on them. Why did you not purchase them?”

 

Penny sighed forlornly.

 

“Couldn't afford them. Maybe next paycheck... or the one after that.” Or the one after that!

 

She unlocked the car and they both slid in.

 

“Hmm. It must be very frustrating to desire something and yet be denied due to insufficient funds,” he commented in an off-handed sort of way.

 

Penny frowned and turned onto the highway.

 

“What, that never happens to you?

 

“Not with something as menial as footwear,” he said with a shrug.

 

The implied insult made her bite back a smile. She used to get all offended at his snotty observations, but she knew there was never any real malice to them. To him, this was a congenial conversation with a friend.

 

She felt a sudden ache in her chest as her mind flashed back over the past couple of years. She and Sheldon had gotten a lot closer when her relationship with Leonard had ended. And then when Leonard started dating Priya, Penny had had to shut herself off from all four of her nerdy friends. During that time Penny had really missed Leonard, Raj, and Howard, but it was Sheldon's company that she had missed the most. Their playful banter, even in the midst of the whole group, had been the highlight of many a day for an underpaid, overworked, waitress/actress.

 

She took the next exit on a whim, while Sheldon rambled on about the recent promos that had been released of the upcoming Doctor Who season.

 

“...as anyone could tell, Amy Pond clearly had no knowledge of proper shot-gun etiquette... Why are we at the comic book store?”

 

Penny smiled as she put the car in park.

 

“Let's call it a thank-you for letting me waste an hour of your time at a shoe store.”

 

“Waste of my time? But Penny-”

 

“Do you want to just go home?” She half-threatened, hoping to stop a quid-pro-quot tirade.

 

“Nope,” he said, and hurried out of the car.

 

Penny laughed softly to herself as she followed him inside. This giddy-love of science fiction was truly charming on Sheldon. It was the thing that made him seem the most human. He loved this stuff more than she loved shoes- and that was saying something!

 

As he prowled and complained about insufficient selections, Penny got a call on her cell.

 

“Amy! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry about last night...”

 

“Hiya Bestie! What are you sorry about? You gave me some great advice, that's why I'm calling.”

 

“Advice? Oh Amy, I got so drunk I don't even remember what I told you...” she confessed, quickly stepping outside when she realized that Stuart and two other guys were listening intently to her conversation.

 

“Oh, you did pass out in the middle of our conversation, but that's okay. I got what I needed from the first half,” Amy reassured her.

 

“Amy, what did I tell you?” Penny asked, bewildered.

 

“Well, I was upset about how slow my relationship with Sheldon is progressing, like usual, and you just started telling me how you would seduce him.”

 

Penny got a sinking feeling deep in her stomach.

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

“Yes. And I'm at the grocery store now. I have the spaghetti and the hotdogs, but I just wanted to verify that it is the _Mama Italia Marinara Sauce_ that he likes.”

 

Penny's mouth was suddenly dry and she had to swallow hard before she could answer.

 

“Penny?”

 

“Y-yes. That's the one.”

 

“Great! Thanks Bestie! Wish me luck!”

 

“G-good-” Penny started, but Amy had already hung up.

 

She stared at the phone in her hand for a minute, trying to process what had just happened.

 

“I'm ready to go now, Penny,” Sheldon said, suddenly appearing before her holding a bag of comic books.

 

“Um, okay,” Penny said and turned toward the parking lot.

 

She felt a tug on her shirt and looked back at Sheldon with raised eyebrows.

 

“Forgive me if I am misreading you, Penny, but are you upset?” He asked with narrowed eyes.

 

“N-no, I just.... I'm fine Sheldon,” she said, giving him what she hoped looked like a sincere smile before continuing on to the car.

 

“Oh, darn it. I really thought I had the hang of reading your emotions. Guess I'll just have to try harder.”

 

Penny unlocked the car and slid behind the wheel.

 

She felt bad for lying to him. And as he really did have a tough time understanding emotions it made the lie doubly bad. It wasn't his fault that she...

 

Penny sighed, and put her head on the steering wheel.

 

“I lied, Sheldon. I am a little upset about something.”

 

He smiled and then seem to think it over and frowned.

 

“Penny, I don't understand why you would lie about that.”It

 

“It's personal, Sheldon. I lied so that you wouldn't ask me why I was upset and it's not something I want to tell you,” she explained sitting up and starting the car.

 

“Oh. Well, next time just tell me I'm right and that you don't want to talk about it. That way, everybody wins,” he told her with a smile.

 

He was so pleased with himself that Penny couldn't help but return his smile.  


	2. Chapter 2

 

 After saying goodbye Sheldon, Penny went home and cleaned her apartment. Yes, that's right. In an effort to not think about Sheldon, Amy, and what they would be doing that night, Penny needed a distraction.

 

She needed some good loud music to drown out her thoughts. Unfortunately, it took nearly twenty minutes to find her iPod and another ten to find her iHome. Both had been buried under dirty laundry and trash. Sheldon's voice sounded in her mind, berating her house-keeping skills as he always did. Penny had the music blasting and had already picked up most of the trash in the living room before she realized what she was doing. It took about half an hour to clean the whole apartment the way she normally did. She ended in the bathroom looking at all the new cleaning supplies Sheldon had bought her that day.

 

Three hours later, Penny was exhausted. The entire apartment practically sparkled it was so clean. Even Sheldon couldn't find fault with the job she had done.

 

Penny laughed out loud. Of course he could...

 

She enjoyed her long shower and took her time getting ready for the evening. Leonard was coming over so they could spend time together and Penny was debating whether or not she should just end it again before they got hurt. She liked Leonard a lot and seeing him with Priya had hurt... but picturing Amy and Sheldon eating spaghetti with little hotdogs together... It hurt worse.

 

Penny poured herself a glass of wine and settled on the couch as she waited on Leonard.

 

His knock came a few minutes later. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

 

The evening had started out so pleasant. The gas that made her sound like a man had been fun to play with and a wonderful distraction from her unhappiness. Leonard was sweet and he loved her. She loved him too, and made the same mistake she always did. Rushed into the physical. Luckily, Leonard had screwed up with his little proposal and the shock had helped pull herself together. As she kicked him out, she looked around and realized he hadn't said a thing about how clean her apartment was. He hadn't even noticed.

 

She was alone in her clean apartment now, sipping wine and wearing nothing but her 'Cornhuskers' t-shirt. She plopped down on the couch and stared unseeingly at the door.

 

Unable to escape her thoughts anymore she let them wash over her.

 

Did she love Leonard? Yes. Was she in love with? No. But she wanted to be..

 

Did she love Sheldon? Yes, of course she did. Was she in love with him? That was the hard one. She'd come back to it later...

 

Where did this leave her and Leonard? What about Amy?

 

She sighed and took another swallow of wine.

 

It wasn't until she heard Sheldon get home that she realized she'd been listening for his return.

 

Penny finished off the glass and set it on the coffee table. She stood and went to her door, placing her hand on door knob. She stopped.

 

She needed to talk to Sheldon, but she had to be careful. Penny wasn't ready to make any passionate declarations, and barging over there now would cause a scene. And depending on how the conversation went, Leonard might be hurt if he overheard. No, she needed to get Sheldon to come to her apartment.

 

After some thought, Penny sent him a text asking him to come show her how to properly clean her shower.

 

He would be unable to resist, yet it wouldn't interest Leonard enough to invite himself a long too.

 

Sure enough, two minutes later, he knock-knock-knocked on her door.

 

She pulled it open trying to hide a smile.

 

Sheldon looked down at her curiously.

 

“You really want me to show you how to clean your shower?” He asked.

 

Penny shook her head.

 

Sheldon blinked.

 

“Then why-?”

 

“Come in and I'll tell you,” she said, stepping back and gesturing for him to come in.

 

She shut the door and turned to see him standing in the middle of the living room, blue eyes darting around as he took in the surroundings.

 

“Penny! What a pleasant surprise!”

 

She was unable to hold back the smile now. The pleasure on his face making the hours of back-breaking work more than worth it.

 

She sat down on the couch and gestured for him to do the same.

 

“I'm glad you like it, but I didn't call you over here just to show you the clean apartment.”

 

After a quick inspection to make sure that the couch cushion was actually clean, and it was she had vacuumed the damn thing, Sheldon sat and looked at her expectantly.

 

“I'm upset about something,” she began, suddenly unsure of what exactly to say.

 

Sheldon nodded a bit impatiently liked this was old news.

 

“Yes, we established that earlier at the comic book store. We also established that you did not wish to discuss it with me,” he reminded her.

 

Penny frowned, reminding herself that, most of the time, Sheldon didn't really mean to sound as rude as he did.

 

“Well, I've changed my mind. I do want to discuss it with you.”

 

Sheldon gave her a very put upon sigh.

 

“Would you not feel more comfortable discussing your troubles with Amy and Bernadette? Or even Leonard now that the two of you are together again.”

 

Was she imagining it, or did he actually sound a little bothered by her and Leonard being together. Penny shook her head, she needed to focus.

 

“No Sheldon. What I'm upset about concerns me and you. Amy, Bernadette, or Leonard would not be helpful.”

 

He cocked his head to side, reminding her of a puppy.

 

“You're upset with me? What did I do?”

 

“No, Sheldon, I'm not upset with you. I just... I need to tell you something and I need you to just listen, okay?”

 

He nodded, but crossed his arms and leaned back as if readying himself for a disagreement or debate.

 

“So, last night I got drunk,” she began.

 

He opened his mouth to retort but stopped when she raised her eyebrows at him. He gestured for her to continue.

 

“Apparently Amy was upset over your lack of affection for her, again, and so I gave her some advice...”

 

“Your the one who told her about the hot dogs!” He exclaimed, getting to his feet.

 

Penny felt a tear slip down her cheek and hastily brushed it away.

 

“I was so drunk, Sheldon, I don't even remember telling her anything. But she called me while you were in the Comic Book store, and asked me about the brand of spaghetti sauce you liked...” she had to stop and clench her teeth together to keep more tears back.

 

Sheldon just stared down at he dumb-founded.

 

When she didn't say anything else for a few minutes, he started pacing.

 

“So let me get this straight. You're revealing to Amy my favorite meal was unintentional and you are upset that she now knows and has made it for me?”

 

She nodded, but could tell he was confused.

 

“Huh.” He sat down again and shrugged.

 

“Well, Amy did an excellent job. You must be able to give very good instructions while drunk.”

 

To him, it was a compliment, but all Penny heard was _Amy did an excellent job._

 

She looked down at her clasped hands as she felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them away this time.

 

When Sheldon realized that she was crying he jumped up agitated.

 

“Are you crying? Penny, I don't understand why Amy making me my favorite meal is so upsetting to you?”

 

Penny jumped up and turned to face him, grabbing onto anger to push past the tears.

 

“BECUASE THAT'S OUR MEAL!” She suddenly exploded.

 

Sheldon just stared at her in stunned silence.

 

“We're so different, Sheldon! It was such a huge effort, on both our parts, to start and maintain a friendship. It's easier now, but there are certain things that we share that no one else, not even Leonard shares with us. Spaghetti with little hotdogs is one of them. And there are so few... But now Amy gets that with you too and it upsets me! And I can't figure out why...”

 

She sat back down and buried her face in her hands.

 

After a few minutes of silence, Sheldon sat next to her. Penny could hear him take a breath like he was going to speak, but he didn't say anything. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt the most hesitant of touches on her back. She froze, her entire focus on the warmth of his fingers.

 

Slowly, she pulled her hands away from her face and turned her head to look at him in astonishment.

 

He had been staring at his hand, resting on her back, but his eyes darted to hers when she looked at him. He left his hand resting on her back.

 

“Penny, I'm not sure what to do about this. I can't take away Amy's knowledge of how to make spaghetti with little hotdogs, or that it's my favorite. But if I could, I would.”

 

Penny smiled, and wiped her face with her hands. Sheldon hopped up from the couch and disappeared into her bedroom returning a few seconds later with some tissues.

 

“I'm sorry for acting so silly,” Penny said and blew her nose.

 

Sheldon shrugged.

 

“No, you have a valid argument. I just don't see anyone at fault here.”

 

Penny nodded.

 

“I know. I think that kind of makes it worse. The only one to blame here, is me.”

 

“Well, it's late,” Sheldon said, standing.

 

Penny nodded again and stood to.

 

“Thank you for being here for me tonight Sheldon. And for trying to understand...”

 

And suddenly she was enfolded in a hug. It was the third hug he'd ever given her, but it was the first that wasn't awkward.

 

“You're improving,” she murmured into his chest, delighting at the sound of his heart under her ear.

 

“I think, this is the first hug I've ever given that I wanted to give,” he said as if he couldn't quite believe it.

 

He gently pushed away from her.

 

“Are you going to be okay now?” He asked, fighting a yawn.

 

“Yes. I'm fine Sheldon. You can go to bed,” she said, reluctantly releasing him.

 

He nodded and walked to the door turning back to look at her.

 

“Penny, I've never sang 'Soft Kitty' with anyone but you before, and I never will,” he vowed.

 

Penny let out a choked laugh/sob and smiled at him.

 

“Neither will I,” she promised.

 

“You better not. It's ours.”

 

Was she in love with Sheldon? Yes, yes she was.

 

End

 


End file.
